Research
by hummerhouse
Summary: April needs Donatello's assistance with something, but she's being very mysterious about what that something is. Rated for adult concepts and situations.


Research

Donatello tapped lightly on the hotel window glass, quickly getting April's attention. She had been pacing when he arrived and he knew something had made her both nervous and anxious.

That something was wrong was evidenced by her phone call requesting that he meet her at a hotel rather than her shop. On top of that request had been an urgent plea that Don tell no one where he was going, not Casey or even his own family.

Looking at her face as April approached the window and opened it verified Don's surmise that something was amiss. Hopping effortlessly over the sill, Don stood near the television set and watched April close and then carefully lock the window.

As April fumbled with the curtains while trying to completely block the view from outside, Don watched her hands. They shook slightly, a dead giveaway to the state of her nerves.

"April, what's wrong?" Don asked softly.

Spinning around, April attempted a smile, but her twitching facial muscles wouldn't comply. Eyes unnaturally wide, April just stood where she was and stared at Don.

Hoping to set her at ease, Don lifted his duffel bag from his shoulder and placed it on the nearby desk.

"Okay if I look around?" Don said. "I don't get to spend a lot of time in hotel rooms," he added with a touch of humor.

Actually, he'd never been inside one, though of course he'd seen them in movies and on television. This was a moderately spacious room; one king sized bed with a nightstand next to it, a long dresser with a special cabinet for the TV set, and a desk and chair. As Don walked towards the entry door, he discovered that a mirrored wall was actually a closet and just beyond that was a small bathroom.

His manner the entire time was nonchalant, but in the back of his mind was the awareness that April's behavior might be due to someone holding her against her will. Don's survey relieved his mind of that thought and on his way back to her he glanced at the entry door, noticing that all three locks and a bolt had been fully engaged.

Just to be on the safe side, when he neared the bed, Don suddenly leaned down and snatched up a corner of the dust ruffle to look beneath. Seeing that no one was hiding there, he stood up and found that April had finally managed a real smile.

"Habit?" she asked, finding her voice.

Don shrugged. "Do you blame me? Your earlier call and the way you greeted me just now couldn't have been more mysterious if you tried," Don said.

April inhaled deeply and released the air in a loud gust. "I know; I'm sorry," she said. "There's something I've needed to discuss with you and I didn't particularly want an audience."

"We could have done that at your apartment," Don said, his brow furrowing.

"No, not really," April told him. "Beside the fact that Casey has a key and tends to show up whenever, your brothers also drop in on a whim. I just couldn't take a chance on that happening while I was talking to you."

Don decided to shelve his curiosity about her reason for inviting him to a hotel for their talk in favor of getting to the main topic of discussion itself.

"What did you want to talk about?" Don asked.

His direct question brought back some of April's initial nervousness. Waving him towards the desk chair, April waited until Don was seated before she plopped down onto the end of the bed. It was the best way that Don could think of to describe her movement; her legs seemed stiff and unwillingly to comply with simple commands.

Folding her hands together, April cleared her throat and looked up at Don. He kept his expression neutral and waited.

"A few months ago I started taking an emergency medical technician course," April began, her lead in surprising Don because he hadn't known about it.

"Do you want to change careers?" Don asked. "Does Casey know?"

April shook her head. "I didn't tell anyone. That was hard because I could've used your help, but I was really determined to do this on my own. I received my certificate today."

"Congratulations," Don said brightly. "That's quite an accomplishment."

April nodded her agreement. "It is. I have to put in some volunteer time to satisfy the rest of my graduation requirements, but then I'll be a fully trained EMT. After I finish with that, I'm going to go to school part-time so that I can become a registered nurse."

"You want to be a nurse?" Don repeated, bewildered as to why that fact would require such secrecy.

"No," April said. "I like my shop and what I do for a living. It won't make me rich, but it gives me a lot of freedom and I don't have to answer to anyone but myself."

When she stopped talking, Don noticed a touch of red on her neck and his confusion got the better of his tact.

"It will take you a couple of years to get a nursing degree. Why would you spend the time and money if you don't want to be a nurse?" Don asked.

"Because it takes longer to become a doctor," April said.

Don opened his mouth and then shut it. None of what April was saying made any sense and he finally decided he wasn't going to ask questions. Maybe if he remained silent, she would get around to explaining things better.

April seemed to realize that she was confusing her friend and lifted her hands, pressing her palms against her eyes.

"Wow, I rehearsed this a few times and didn't foul it up nearly this much," April said. "I'm just embarrassed."

"April, you don't have any reason to be embarrassed around me," Don said. "It's Donatello, remember? "

Lowering her hands, April gave him a weak smile. "I know, I'm sorry. Let me try again. I'm attempting to learn as much as I can about doctoring and emergency care because of you guys. Right now your family depends on you to deal with injury and illness, but I started wondering who would look after you if you were hurt. Leo, Raph, and Mikey all know basic first aid, and Master Splinter has a broad knowledge of spiritual healing and herbal medicines. You're the only one with any extensive medical training and if something were to happen, you guys can't go to an emergency room."

"If you want to learn I could teach you," Don said. "I learned everything from books anyway, you don't need to spend money to go to school."

"But I do," April told him. "I have to do it this way because I'll get hands on training. I'll get to draw blood, patch up wounds, drain cysts, lance boils, clean burns, and anything else they throw my way. Having you tell me how to take a temperature isn't nearly the same as actually doing so with a patient who actually has a temperature."

Don nodded. "I'll concede that point. I learned a lot of what I know the hard way by necessity. I don't know what to say, April, except how much I appreciate this and that I'll help you all I can if you'll let me. I have to admit that I've worried sometimes over what might happen to my family if I were to disappear."

The words slipped out though he hadn't meant for them to and he nearly bit his tongue trying to retract them. Maybe this explained why April wanted their conversation to be private. She had finally gotten him to tell her about the futuristic version of New York he had visited and she knew that the memory was painful, even though a lot of time had passed and the Shredder was no longer around.

"No," April said gently, tilting her head to the side, her manner more relaxed than it had been since he'd entered the room. "I didn't mean for you to think of that alternate reality, Donny. The thought that you might disappear didn't enter into the equation when I was making this decision. I honestly was just concerned that you guys didn't have a failsafe; that you didn't have a backup. I feel like you guys are my family and I want to do this for you because it's necessary."

Don accepted her words at face value, knowing that April never lied to him. That still left the question of why she needed to tell him about it in a hotel room.

"You know we love you like a sister, April," Don said. "I'm not trying to be obtuse, but why did you need to tell me this here and without anyone else knowing where we were?"

That touch of nervousness returned and Don could see her visibly wrestle it back under control.

"I've read and researched everything possible about turtles," April said. "I'm a scientist; I worked for Baxter Stockman so I know something about genetics and mutations, even though mathematics is more my line. The problem is that I don't feel like any of that has told me enough about you guys. Before I start school I want some basic data about your body that will help me focus my studies."

"I have a ton of data back in my lab," Don said, perplexed. "Every test I've ever run, detailed notes about every injury any of us have sustained, chronology for every illness we've ever had; it's all in my computer. I can make a copy for you."

"That would help and thank you," April said. "I'll make sure it's encrypted in a way that no one else will ever be able to see it. The reason I asked you to meet me here is because I need something more visual. It's one of the ways I learn."

"You can look at me anytime," Don told her. "If you want to practice drawing blood I'll let you. I don't understand what you could need from me that requires the privacy of a hotel room."

April bit her lip as she looked at him. It took him a minute, but he started to understand. Flushing, April watched his expression change before rushing into speech.

"Donny, you're like my brother and my best friend all rolled into one. I couldn't ask this of the other guys. Mikey wouldn't take it seriously, Raph would freak and think he needed to tell Casey, and Leo . . . let's just say I can't even imagine going down that road with Leo. I've only ever seen you without your mask a couple of times and never without the rest of your gear."

Don was staring at her. "I'll be happy to remove my gear if you want to see what I look like without it." His voice when he spoke was a low monotone.

By now April knew she had to be bright red. She didn't really think he would just offer to show her what she wanted to see, but she hadn't realized how difficult it was going to be to ask him.

"You're a guy and you have guy parts. I just need to know where they are; I need to see how they work. I know for regular turtles the penis is in their tail, but I don't know if your mutation changed how that functions," April explained.

"You think you need to know how my private parts work?" Don asked, sounding a lot calmer than he was actually starting to feel.

"Yes," April said firmly, working to remain as detached sounding as she could, the way she'd been taught to do in her EMT training. "A doctor spends years studying the anatomy of humans so he'll be as familiar with it as possible. If I'm going to do this right; if I'm going to be of any use to you guys, there can't be any mysteries."

"April, I . . . this is . . . ." Don wasn't quite sure what to say. April's points were valid and logical, but if she was a guy and not a woman it would be easier. "Maybe we could ask Casey to look and he could describe everything. Or better yet, I could draw a diagram and . . . ."

Don stopped talking when April stood up, her face now the stubborn mask of determination he'd come to know well. Without saying anything, she lifted her shirt and pulled it off.

"What are you doing?" Don's question ended in a thin squeak.

"Quid pro quo," April said. "If it will make you more comfortable, I'll get naked too. Have you ever seen a nude female? Ever had the chance to study one?"

April's hands were working on the fastenings to her jeans as she used her feet to shove her shoes off. Don didn't tell her that he'd seen Sydney nude, but that glance had been fleeting; as soon as he and his brothers realized that Quarry was female, they'd averted their eyes.

The entire situation would have been a bit less awkward if Donatello hadn't at one time had a crush on April. Watching her pull her jeans off and toss them across the bed so that she was wearing no more than her panties and bra was starting to affect him.

Clearing his throat, Don said, "Comfortable is not the feeling I'm getting here."

April looked at his face and then smiled knowingly. All her earlier nervousness was gone; it seemed to have passed from her to Don. As an attractive woman she could easily recognize the expression on Don's face and it gave her a power rush to know she could exert that kind of control over her powerful ninja friend.

"Take off your mask, Donny," April said, her voice almost a soft purr.

His hands were moving before he gave the command conscious thought. Unfastening the knot, Don removed the strip of purple cloth from his face and set it on the desk.

April's hands were on her hips, shoulders back as she struck as pose most favorable to showing off her figure. Don's dark brown eyes had drifted down to her bra covered breasts and he seemed to be stuck there.

"Stand up and remove your gear, please," April told him.

Don felt like he was moving in slow motion as his knees locked and lifted him. He drew his bo staff first and leaned it against the wall, then began to strip the pads from his arms and legs. That done, Don carefully untied his belt and dropped it on the desk with the rest of his things before turning back towards April, now as completely nude as he'd been the day he was hatched.

Flicking a tongue over his lips to wet them, Don said, "The mutation did change some things. Our sexual organs aren't in our tails, for one. We're all kind of glad for that considering the number of fights we get into and how many times we end up hitting the ground rear first."

"I have wondered about that," April said. "I think that's one of the reasons I wanted to know how the basic design had changed. I know this is going to sound morbid, but as many times as Leo and Raph have been slashed, I couldn't help but think what if someone cut off their tail?"

"Ouch," Don said with a small, self-conscious laugh. "You know, we do try to keep it curved up under the lip of our shell while we're fighting, though it isn't something we really think about."

April nodded and raked her eyes over Don, from head to foot, slowly examining him in a way she'd never done before. Don concentrated on taking deep measured breaths, trying not to think about the fact that he was locked in a hotel room with a half-naked woman.

"Could you turn around?" April asked.

Don did as she asked; turning so she could see his carapace. His tail succumbed to its fighting instinct and curled up into his shell. He didn't draw her attention to it, rather hoping that since she'd seen it before she wouldn't be concerned with it now.

"Don, I know this is awkward, but I'd really like to examine your tail up close," April said from quite near him.

He hadn't even heard her approach. Don flinched at little before admitting, "It's a little sensitive."

"How sensitive?" April asked distractedly, kneeling down to watch as Don willed his tail to creep out of hiding. "I mean, are there nerves all along it and if your tail is pinched, does it hurt like when you pinch a finger?"

Before he could answer, April caught the tip of his tail between her fingers and held it out straight. Her touch was gentle as the fingers on her other hand glided along the slightly pebbly skin on his tail.

With a yelp, Don stepped away from her and out of her grip. Spinning around, he found that she was still on her knees and right at his crotch level.

"M . . . maybe this isn't such a good idea," Don stammered quickly.

It was at that moment when April noticed that Don's lower plastron had started to bulge outward. Standing slowly, she took two steps back to give him breathing room.

"Don," she began carefully, "does touching your tail stimulate your sexual organs?"

Mouth pressed into a tight line, Don nodded.

"Okay, I understand," April said, filing away the information.

Reaching behind her, April unclasped her bra and peeled it away from her body, leaving her breasts bare. They were a nice size, she knew, and she was rather proud of how full and firm they were. The look on Don's face told her that he was appreciating them as well.

Even though the room was a comfortable temperature, her nipples hardened and April knew it had to be because Don was looking at her. Deciding to strip for him had been a spur of the moment decision, based on her thoughts that she wouldn't find her best friend to be at all sexually arousing, but apparently her body was having different ideas.

_"Muscles,"_ she told herself. _"Has to be the muscles. And the way he's looking at me. That's all; I am not attracted to Donatello. Snap out of it April O'Neil."_

Out loud April said, "It's probably very similar to how excited most women get when someone touches their breasts. The nipples are extremely sensitive and someone manipulating them can set off a chain reaction in other parts of our body."

She had hoped that a simple clinical explanation would help dispel Don's nervousness, but instead she seemed to have merely focused him on her breasts more completely. April noticed that the color on Don's neck and face had changed, and that his pupils had dilated.

It didn't help at all that his reaction was setting one off in her as well. Her lower regions were becoming very warm and she could feel the first hints of moisture between her legs.

"I c . . . can sm . . . smell you," Don rasped, his voice an octave lower than normal.

April had always liked Don's mellifluous voice, but this was the first time it had ever sent a shiver down her spine. She started to wonder if this was such a good plan after all.

The change in Don's plastron was more noticeable now and taking a deep breath, April put her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and slid them off. As she stepped out of them, she heard the faintest of whines issue from Don's throat.

"Are you all right?" April asked, growing concerned. Her friend looked like he was in pain.

"No," Don answered honestly. "Hurts."

A little afraid now, April took a step towards him and he awkwardly moved back.

"Where?" April asked. Her eyes drifted down to the bulge, which now appeared to be a small split in his shell. Suddenly it felt like a light bulb went off in her head.

"Is this where your penis is housed, Don?" she asked, pointing to the spot between his legs.

"Yes," Don forced the word out. "It's a . . . hidden pocket. Well protected, but when . . . when stimulated . . . it expands . . . expands out of the . . . ."

April was slightly amused that her genius friend had begun to lose the ability to use words. Maybe if he was in enough pain he'd stop fighting her and they could both get this task over with.

"It hurts when you try to hold it in, is that what you're telling me?" April asked.

Don nodded again. "I ca . . . can't hold it mmmuch longer."

"Let me see," April said, her voice a sultry caress. Sitting on the end of the bed, she spread her legs and repeated, "Quid pro quo."

With a shudder, Don dropped down. His penis was almost fully erect already and once it was out in the open with April's scent drugging the air, it filled completely.

"Fascinating," April whispered, unable to speak louder.

She had read that turtles' were large when fully engorged; had even seen a few pictures, though they were remarkably difficult to find. The head on Don's penis looked less like the flowered version of his original and more human, but size wise he was much bigger than anything April had ever seen.

April's hands twitched with the desire to reach out and touch Don's penis. She gripped a double handful of the blanket that she was sitting on in order to resist the urge.

"The sacs, they're internal?" April asked.

It took Don a minute to answer and April looked up at him. He seemed to be struggling a bit and she met his eyes and held them, hoping that would help.

"Yes," Don said. "In that we hold to our original f . . . form. We also self-lubricate to a degree."

April glanced down again and noticed that his penis did have a light sheen to it. In addition, the tip had a pearlescent drop of pre-come oozing from it, which flowed over the head and slid along his shaft.

Shifting on the bed, April rocked back on her bottom and then forward again, unconsciously rubbing herself against the sheets. The warmth between her legs had turned to liquid fire; every feminine part of her screaming for Donatello to take her.

An odd sound rumbled up from Don's chest and she instinctively knew it signified both his arousal and desire. Forcing her eyes away from his manhood, she looked up into eyes raw with need.

With a start, April realized that Don was holding himself back from her with every bit of willpower he had. She also suddenly understood that though he had mutated into a life form more advanced than his original, his basic hunger was still very animalistic.

April teetered on the very edge of giving in to her desires. Truth be told, at the moment she was damn horny. Her mind seemed to be focused on just one thing; a visual of that gigantic, rock hard green shaft pushing into her and satisfying her spiraling lust.

A tiny voice came up from somewhere deep inside and reminded her that what she wanted to do would ruin everything. She'd lose Casey and the Turtles all in one stroke. She'd lose Donatello forever.

Pulling up the blanket, April slowly covered herself, wrapping the thick cloth tightly around her naked form.

Don released a long, gusting breath. "I'm going . . . I'm going to b . . . borrow the bathroom," he said, turning on his heel and moving swiftly out of April's sight.

The scent of April's desire filled Don's nostrils and he took care of business as quickly and silently as possible. Her image flowed through his mind as he grunted through his release and he knew it would be a very, very long time before her nude form escaped his memory.

Once he was properly tucked away, Don washed himself thoroughly, removing the scent of his secretions from his body. His brother's sense of smell was as keen as his own and it wouldn't do to have them teasing him about his mysterious absence being for the purpose of pleasuring himself.

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw that April was once again dressed. He could still smell the desire on her and knew that her needs hadn't been taken care of. Don guessed that she would either call Casey when she got home, or deal with it herself. The last notion almost caused him to churr again and he pushed the mental picture away as fast as he could.

Don didn't say anything as he pulled his gear back on and April respected the silence. As he was tying his mask into place she finally decided to speak.

"That went a little further than I'd planned and I'd like to apologize," April said quietly. "I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent person, but I didn't foresee the possibilities that this could go beyond awkward for the both of us."

"It was a question of my sexuality," Don said, sliding his bo staff into place. He looked at her with a shy smile. "You don't think of us as being capable of that, do you?"

April shook her head, deciding to be honest since he'd know if she was lying anyway.

"Not really," she said. "Actually, I never thought about that aspect at all. It wasn't until I was halfway through my EMT training when I realized I didn't know where you hid your masculinity. Even then I just thought of it as another appendage. It wasn't until I was in the room that I started thinking about what it was I wanted to ask you to do."

"And in true April form, you didn't back down from the challenge," Don said with a grin as he began to feel less self-conscious.

"It's my curse," April said. "I'm just overly curious. Don, I told you the absolute truth about what I'm trying to do. That time when Leo was so badly hurt after being ambushed, I felt completely helpless. I wanted to make him better but I didn't have a clue where to begin. I paced the floor in my room because I couldn't sleep; my skin felt like it was alive from the fear and agitation. I don't ever want to go through that again."

"You really are just like a sister," Don said. "Tonight was awkward and embarrassing, I have to admit that, but you're my best friend, April. We're good, this episode doesn't change us. Gives us something to laugh about privately, but fundamentally we'll stay the same."

April sighed, her relief obvious. "Thanks Donny. I love you guys, you know that right?"

"We all know it," Don said, releasing the catch on the window. Tossing his bag over his shoulder, Don opened the window and stepped through.

"I'll call you in a day or two so I can get that data from you," April said, following him to the window.

Don squatted down so he could look back at her. "Sounds good. Hey, April."

"Yeah, Donny?"

"You're a really beautiful woman," Don told her, a wistful smile on his face.

Before she could answer, he was gone.

Closing the window, April suddenly felt shaky and leaned back against the sill.

"And you Donatello, are a pretty incredible guy," April whispered to the silence.


End file.
